Viability testing local plans: Advice for planning practitioners

Posted on: 25 June 2012
By: mackene
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The Local Housing Delivery Group, set up by housing minister Grant Shapps, has published an assessment of Local Plans’ ability to deliver new homes. This report is a resource for local authorities to help ensure their local plans are viable and deliverable.  It provides practical, step-by-step advice for planning practitioners on how their local plans can effectively address the viability of residential land in their area. The Group has produced an interim report, A Review of Local Standards for the Delivery of New Homes. It concludes that there is significant scope for simplification of the standards regime and recommends an urgent Government-backed review and consolidation of existing local housing standards to ensure they meet the aspirations of local communities without undermining viability.

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Unlocking local leadership on climate change: perspectives from coalition MPs

Posted on: 25 June 2012
By: mackene
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This pamphlet, published by the Green Alliance as part as part of its Climate Leadership Programme, brings together the perspectives of three Coalition MPs: Damian Hinds, MP for East Hampshire; Martin Vickers, MP for Cleethorpes; and Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge. In it they give their views on how government can link two crucial aims: tackling climate change and empowering local areas.

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Rio+20: where it should lead

Posted on: 25 June 2012
By: mackene
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Although progress has been made since 1992, sustainable development has not gained the traction those at the original summit would have hoped. The authors, including leaders from politics, business, NGOs, economics, science and the youth movement, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, give opinions about why this is, the lessons we have learned and where we go next. Taken together they make a powerful case for sustainable development being at the centre of any new settlement that emerges from the current economic crisis.

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The Neighbourhood Planning (Referendum) Regulations 2012

Posted on: 25 June 2012
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The Government has laid before Parliament draft regulations for how neighbourhood planning referendums should work, including the wording of questions. Referendums must be held on a neighbourhood development plan, a neighbourhood development order or a community right to build order.

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Going green: How cities are leading the next economy

Posted on: 25 June 2012
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Despite the global recession, a new report from LSE Cities shows widespread optimism concerning green economic development. The survey report, launched at the Rio+20 Summit, shows the extent to which cities have successfully integrated green policies since the last United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 1992.

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UK Out-of-Town Retail Marketbeat: June 2012

Posted on: 21 June 2012
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This is a four page review of market trends and price movements in the UK out-of-town retail property market, including analysis of yields and rents, as well as commentary on occupier and investment trends. This report chronicles the stories of five very different cities, in the USA, South Korea and Colombia, that became stronger after freeways were removed or reconsidered. They demonstrate that fixing cities harmed by freeways, and improving public transport, involves a range of context-specific and context-sensitive solutions. This perspective contrasts with the one-size-fits-all approach that was used in the 1950s and 1960s to push freeways through urban neighbourhoods. The belief then was that freeways would reduce congestion and improve safety in cities.

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The life and death of urban highways

Posted on: 21 June 2012
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A new report jointly produced by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and EMBARQ re-appraises the specific conditions under which it makes sense to build urban highway and when it makes sense to tear them down.

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BIM demystified

Posted on: 21 June 2012
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This new book provides a short, practical introduction to Building Information Modelling (BIM). The author addresses BIM from the point of view of mainstream practice as opposed to a cutting-edge technological perspective. Taking a wide view of BIM, the book covers business opportunity, Code of Conduct, cultural issues and the necessity for better legal arrangements. [ISBN 9781859463734  £19.95]

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Reclaiming water rights: Towards an equitable social contract in Goa

Posted on: 21 June 2012
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This report from Tourism Concern attempts to fill in the informational dearth on the issue of water equity and tourism in Goa through a comprehensive analysis of policies and practices of the tourism industry vis-a-vis local communities. It outlines the fallacy of the present Government tourism policy, especially in relation to water appropriation, and attempts to build a case for water management to instead be within the control of local self governing institutions.

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Privately owned public space: where are they and who owns them?

Posted on: 21 June 2012
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The Guardian newspaper is embarking on an ambitious project to create a map of privatised public spaces in Britain, and would welcome assistance and contributions from the public. Information is requested on open spaces, from streets and city squares to village greens, beaches and riverbanks, where there’s a reasonable expectation that the space might be public.

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